Central Point driver jailed after police chases

Aman with a history of running from police was arrested again early Thursday after leading officers on two chases this week.

By RYAN PFEIL

Aman with a history of running from police was arrested again early Thursday after leading officers on two chases this week.

Jeremy Ray Rasmussen, 26, of Central Point, was subdued with a stun gun and arrested after racing through Medford, Oregon State Police reported.

He was lodged Friday in the Jackson County Jail without bail on two counts each of felony attempting to elude, reckless driving and driving while suspended, as well as for a probation violation for failing to register as a sex offender, jail records show.

At 1:23 a.m. Thursday, OSP spotted Rasmussen driving a white 1998 Chevrolet Tahoe, which an OSP sergeant recognized as a vehicle that had eluded police two days earlier.

OSP gave chase near the intersection of Stewart Avenue and Riverside Avenue, with officers from Jackson County Sheriff's Department and Medford police joining in.

Police said Rasmussen drove through several stop signs and stoplights, with the chase continuing on Highway 62 before Rasmussen pulled into a parking lot across the highway from Pier 1 near Delta Waters Road.

Officers forced the Tahoe to a stop by pushing up against it with a police car and rotating it —a tactical vehicle intervention called a "pit move," said OSP spokesman Lt. Gregg Hastings.

Police said they used a stun gun on Rasmussen after he failed to comply with orders to surrender.

A passenger in the vehicle was taken into custody for violating his parole, but police didn't release his name.

Rasmussen is also suspected of eluding several police agencies on the night of Jan. 29.

Officers in Central Point attempted to stop a white Chevrolet Tahoe with California license plates, but the vehicle sped away. Later that night, Medford police spotted the white SUV traveling at a high rate of speed near the intersection of North Central Avenue and Highway 238 and pursued it to Narregan Street near The Venue, where they canceled the chase when it became too dangerous.

Medford police Lt. Mike Budreau said the Tahoe reached 65 mph before officers called off the pursuit for safety reasons.

In February 2012, Rasmussen led police on a high-speed chase that ended after an officer fired two shots at close range into the spinning rear tire of the man's wrecked SUV when he got stuck in wet grass near the Medford airport.

Police used a stun gun on Rasmussen twice to subdue him in that incident. He was treated for minor injuries at Providence Medford Medical Center before being jailed at the Jackson County Jail.